Thursday, September 8, 2011

Tales of Xillia Released in Japan

Franchises die and fall depending on how it is managed, and it is a miracle that the Tales franchise lasted as long as it did. Depending on the fans you talk to, the perception of how the tales franchise is treated in Japan and the United States range from negative to extremely negative. Even with the poor marketing efforts and lack of direction, the tales franchise is resilient. Its resiliency is because of its great storyline, amazing battle system, and infectious memorable characters that are affable and amicable. Tales of Xillia is the franchise’s release for its 15th anniversary, and it looks like quite an incredible experience.

The tales franchise is known for its great cast of characters, and you can choose between two lead characters in the beginning of the storyline that will change the perspective of the unfolding storyline. The female lead character is Milla Maxwell (Miyuki Sawashiro, AX 2011 Guest of Honor). Milla is able to summon the four spirits of water, wind, earth, and fire. Having lived in the mountains she is weary of civilization and believes that it is her purpose to watch over the world. She has long blonde hair with a feather in her head; she is the token buxom female that is typical in a Team Symphonia game (Sheena in Symphonia, Tear in Abyss, and Judith in Vesperia). The male lead is Jude Mathis (Tsubasa Yunaga), a student in a medical school in the royal city. After a chance encounter with Milla he joins her because he believes that he can help her in her journey. Alvin (Tomozaku Sugita) is a quiet mercenary who does have a calculating inner streak. Leia Rolando (Saori Hayami) is the childhood friend of Jude who works her parent’s inn. Elise Lutus (Yuki Horinaka) is the token lolita in Tales of Xillia, she is a summoner of spirits and is anti-social. Rowen J. Ilbert is a butler who happens to be one of the oldest characters to grace a tales game. Features of the game

Selectable lead character – Choose between Milla and Jude, they have slightly different perspectives of the main storyline

Quick Save – You have the ability to save the game anytime, anywhere. This is a first for the tales franchise, and it hopefully won’t be the last.

Quick Travel – Press R3 on the PS3 controller and you can instantly travel to any town you have been to before. This is another first feature to make the game experience better for the gamer.

Skit System – The game has the standard skit system that is well-known in the tales franchise. They can talk to each other and interact to show how the characters behave around the world. There is also a short chat where characters talk about the world around them, heavily influenced by the dialog system in Final Fantasy XIII.

Orb System – This is the growth system in Tales of Xillia, spend points to move from node to node. It looks like it is based off of the Sphere Grid from Final Fantasy X.

Will the Game get a USA release?

The game may get a USA release depending on the sales of Tales of the Abyss for the 3DS and Tales of Graces F for the PS3. Since Tales of Xillia’s potential release is based on future sales of games that will be out in 2012, don’t expect a USA release until 2013 at the earliest. Even then, there is no guarantee on whether Abyss 3DS or Graces F will reach Namco Bandai’s sales expectations in the United States and Europe.

The game can be imported now from places like Play-Asia, you can get the Japanese Edition or the much cheaper Asian Version (which is in Japanese). I may likely import the Asian version in the next couple of months, so look forward to an import review of Tales of Xillia.